The regular season is a platform for football teams to showcase their potential and Parkway and Haynesville proved to be two of the most complete and talented teams in the state. Both finished undefeated, a first for the Panthers, and punctuated their regular seasons with big wins to claim their district championships.

The Panthers (9-0, 5-0) were challenged in a way they hadn’t been all season, needing a last-minute 80-yard drive to take down rival Airline 30-23 in their final home game of the year. Parkway earned the No. 2 seed in the Class 5A non-select playoff bracket, but will not host a postseason game due to a ruling by the LHSAA following an altercation at Preston Crownover Stadium in last year’s playoffs.

LSU commit Brandon Harris finished the season with more than 2,000 yards passing and 22 touchdowns and will try to lead Parkway to a bi-district round victory against Captain Shreve, which the Panthers defeated 48-10 in Week 6.

The Panthers’ most notable win came in Week 8 against Byrd and Parkway Coach David Feaster knows narrow victories like the one over the Vikings could serve his team well in the coming weeks.

“I never ask for anything like this, but now that it’s over, maybe it’s a good thing we got tested like this,” Feaster told the Shreveport Times. “It’s amazing. It’s something we’ll have more in perspective as we go and look back on it. To have a perfect season in 5A – it would be one thing if we gone back down to 4A – but to be in the largest classification and to have our kids play this well every week is amazing.”

Haynesville (10-0, 5-0) recorded its first undefeated regular season since 2000 with impressive victories over 4A Franklin Parish and Union Parish, the No. 3 seed in Class 3A. Tyus Early, Jerrell Jackson, Cavonte Critton and Keshawn Harris have each scored at least eight touchdowns and all contribute on defense as well.

The Golden Tornados lost 20-8 to Ouachita Christian in last year’s 1A championship and they expect to return to the Mercedez-Benz Superdome in mid-December.

SELECT CONTENDERS: Byrd and Calvary both earned No. 2 seeds and a bye in Select Divisions I and III respectively. Byrd finished behind Parkway in District 1-5A and Calvary defeated Red River 53-6 at home to claim the District 1-2A title.

Byrd (9-1, 4-1) has been a powerhouse all season bullying its opponents on the field to the tune of 315.5 yards rushing per game. Louis Mills sat out the past two games after suffering an injury against Parkway, but the bruising fullback still led the Yellow Jackets with 744 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns.

Arizona commit Shea Patterson led the offense to an average of 36.4 points and the defense has pulled its weight holding opponents to just six points in each of the past five games. The Cavaliers (6-4, 5-0) await a potential matchup with high-scoring Newman or Opelousas Catholic.

Evangel (8-1, 5-0) earned the No. 4 seed in Division II and will take on Class 4A Loyola in the opening round. The Eagles defense has been the definition of shutdown holding their past three opponents scoreless, including a 27-0 win over Mansfield on Friday to seal the District 1-2A crown.

POTENTIAL SLEEPERS: Airline has been gaining momentum since its 2-4 start against some stout competition. The Vikings (5-5, 3-2) gave Parkway all it could handle in the season finale and the offense has begun to catch up to the O.J. Smith-led defense by averaging 25.0 points over the last four games.

Northwood (9-0, 7-1) will be looking for its second victory of the season against Benton (34-14) before a potential matchup with Franklinton, which hosts Fair Park. The Falcons have the athletes to match up with Franklinton’s offense and have already defeated the Indians in district play.